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Gnomecia
History Gnomecia is one of the oldest Gnomish homelands in recorded history. It's estimated to have been in existence a good 10,000 years prior to the end of the first era. Gnomecia has gone through several phases of Government from Monarchy to Communistic Autocracy, but has ultimately blossomed into a Geniocracy which has been an established tradition since its last autocratic ruler was stripped of her position in the mid 200's of the third era. Geniocracy came naturally to a civilization as industrious and educationally driven as Gnomecia, and has worked quite well for the people dwelling within the land. As such Gnomecia exhibits incredibly rich Gnomish architecture both dating back thousands of years and completely new. Throughout the cities, streets, towns, and Hamlets located within the realm of Gnomecia one can find artwork and technology of eccentric Gnomes throughout the ages. Rich libraries and competitive universities can be found throughout Gnomecia. It is said that in Gnomecia the only limit is your own drive and imagination. However, this would only apply if you are not one of the many enslaved Elves attending to the needs of their masters. Many enslaved Elves in Gnomecia find themselves as teachers and tutors of ancient Elven secrets. Elves who refuse to teach of their ancient culture on principle, or have simply forgotten it, are put to other uses. Race Population by Percentage Gnome: 68% Dwarf: 20% Human: 4% Halfling: 3% Bollytoad: 2% Vulpoi: 2% Orc: 1% Elf: N/A* *Enslaved Elves are not included in this statistic, as such the only recorded Elven population would be Drow, which is negligible in number in Gnomecia. Language Although the native language of Gnomecia is Gnomish, nearly everyone has a firm grasp of Common as well. One will notice that the main shops and market districts all have large signs in Gnomish with translations in Common at the bottom. Around half of the shops that translate into Common will also take the time to translate into Dwarvish. However, when one travels through the back alleys to the shops and establishments seldom browsed by foreigners they'll find it rare to be given a translation into Common, and even the tavern menus will lack translations. Government and Politics Gnomecia is run by a geniocratic council of scholars known in Common as "The Big Idea". This council is elected through a direct democratic process, however, to be eligible to vote one must pass a series of incredibly complex and rigorous tests compiled by all of the Universities of Gnomecia. To be eligible to run for a seat on the council, one must be an adult, no matter what race, and be the chair of a department in a Gnomecian University. The only other way to run is to be sponsored by an engineering firm, or scientific agency. In this sense, corporations with heavy technological prowess tend to have a large influence on Gnomecian politics, though not nearly as much as Universities themselves. It is worth noting that The Big Idea is almost entirely Gnomish, but it isn't shocking to see the occasional Human or two take a seat in the council, and maybe even a Bollytoad or a Dwarf. The Big Idea is capable of powerful unchecked influence over Gnomecia, as the idea behind having a geniocratic council is that its members are trusted to be intelligent enough to make their own decisions for the good of Gnomecia. The problem with this form of government is that intelligent people are not always looking out for the people, although this system has worked for some time now without too much trouble. Recently, a group of rich aristocrats within Gnomecia have begun purchasing powerful corporations and buying off scientists, engineers, and their patents. These individuals attempting a slow monetary takeover have become known as Pocket Soldiers. Pocket Soldiers are all Drow and Halflings of the upperclass, come to Gnomecia in bands exerting a full scale economic attack. Most Pocket Soldiers hide away in secured, heavily gaurded buildings as they've become quite unwelcome in Gnomecia, and have attracted assassins hired by those who would see a stop to their subtle pushing towards plutocracy. Social Alignment Gnomecia is decidedly True Neutral, as the typical way of thought is to simply do what is logical, although, sometimes one must act illogically for a good prank or joke, and what Gnome could resist a good trick? Economy Gnomecia is in the midst of a consistently rising economy, as it is riddled with investors looking to fund the next big invention. Ever since the invention of the Gnomish 'Handgunne' half a century ago, warriors from all over have been looking to equip themselves with the incredible piece of military technology from Gnomecia. Dwarves, due to their large trade network in Gnomecia, have begun training special military troops with longer range versions of this new Gnomish weapon. Transportation The main form of long-range transportation within Gnomecia is the Cog Wagon, Terrene's very first train system, which runs on a raised series of aqueduct-esque archways webbing out all over Gnomecia. Gnomecian government funds the Cog Wagon so that it can remain free for public use, just as Gnomecian Universities are, so long as you are a Gnomecian citizen. This has proven to be a much cheaper form of city transportation than teleportation, though not nearly as fast. It does, however, have far fewer accidents than teleportation when transporting multiple people. List of Professions Gnomecia often produces: *Scholars (Any intellectual field: Geography, Biology, Botany, etc.) *Scientists *Engineers *Alchemists *Bards *Wizards *Rogues